Oakwood has been highly praised in a recent inspection report from the prisons watchdog and by their Chief Inspector. In this opinion piece, the prison’s Director Sean Oliver explains what’s behind this success.
HMP OAKWOOD: Incremental progress, community ethos, trust and respect
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In the very early years when HMP Oakwood first opened, it was criticised in a number of areas; fast forward to today and the Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor has publicly praised the prison’s leadership, culture and approach to rehabilitation.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly proud to get this recognition and it’s testament to the hard work of the whole team at the prison. But it’s important to say from the outset that this isn’t a dramatic turnaround story: we’ve been chipping away day in day out, making incremental progress since the prison opened.
Neither do I want to start telling other directors and governors how to run their jails – or to suggest that Oakwood is perfect or close to it. No prison is. All I can tell you is what works at Oakwood.
Getting the basics right has been key to the continuous improvement we have worked hard to achieve: we provide decency and respect. We show prisoners that we care. A prisoner is sent to prison as punishment; when they are in my prison they will be treated with decency and respect and I expect them to treat my staff with the same courtesy.
Above all, we keep prisoners, staff and the public safe which allows us to run interventions which can help prisoners move forward. It’s difficult to do anything meaningful without stability. To create stability, all our services need to run as planned as much as possible – and there needs to be an expectation that this will be the case.
Attention to detail matters a lot. I review figures across all areas of the prison on a daily basis, including staffing, healthcare and workshop attendance data. Our morning briefing sessions are attended by representatives from all departments and we discuss any operational issues or incidents from the previous day.
I would say our community ethos also makes us stand out. Oakwood is a place for all of us, including myself, to continually learn and where everyone (staff and prisoners) can put their strengths to good use. We trust each other.
If a man is given responsibility and they are trusted, it can have a transformative effect, which I have seen many examples of. Men cannot hope to find a way back into society if they are not given a chance to change - and they will make mistakes - but they can build their own self worth, on the belief of others, with the right rules and support in place.
Honest and straightforward communication between staff and prisoners is fundamental to building trust. This is continuous and we take every opportunity, whether it is in wing surgeries or other forums, to listen and act when anything needs changing or improving.
As well as holding joint fundraisers and other events with prisoners and staff, we recognise the positive behaviour and good work of both. I cannot overstate how crucial recognition is for prisoners to mark their achievements, and give them belief in their own ability.
Getting the basics right has been key to the continuous improvement we have worked hard to achieve: we provide decency and respect.
On the flipside to this, we have very clear rules and boundaries: prisoners will have their privileges withdrawn if they break the rules. Ensuring they know where they stand and are treated fairly takes constant work to maintain.
Making sure that staff feel valued and supported is equally important given retention remains one of our biggest challenges. We put a lot of effort into their development and managers interview every person who applies for a prison officer role that passes the paper sift. While it’s time consuming, we can secure the most suitable candidates.
Our senior managers are all homegrown and have risen through the ranks. Staff are encouraged to apply for more senior roles that suit their skillset and are given shadowing opportunities. Functional heads have their offices in the areas they manage to ensure they’re on the ground when needed.
The work we do is not just about life on the inside; we have to prepare prisoners for the outside world. After 27-years in the prison service, I’ve learned that most men want to do something with their lives and contribute to society once they’ve served their sentence, but you have to give them a sense of hope.
Meaningful work, education and maintaining family ties inside prison are essential pieces of the puzzle on the path to rejoining society. So is future housing and employment, which is why we are keen to build more links with employers. Many, though, remain reluctant to give jobs to those with a criminal record and this is one of the toughest barriers to breaking the cycle of reoffending.
So while Charlie Taylor’s comments have given us all a boost, one thing I know we won’t be doing is slowing down. There is much more that we can and want to improve.
Making sure that staff feel valued and supported is equally important given retention remains one of our biggest challenges. We put a lot of effort into their development and managers interview every person who applies for a prison officer role that passes the paper sift. While it’s time consuming, we can secure the most suitable candidates.
Our senior managers are all homegrown and have risen through the ranks. Staff are encouraged to apply for more senior roles that suit their skillset and are given shadowing opportunities. Functional heads have their offices in the areas they manage to ensure they’re on the ground when needed.
The work we do is not just about life on the inside; we have to prepare prisoners for the outside world. After 27-years in the prison service, I’ve learned that most men want to do something with their lives and contribute to society once they’ve served their sentence, but you have to give them a sense of hope.
Meaningful work, education and maintaining family ties inside prison are essential pieces of the puzzle on the path to rejoining society. So is future housing and employment, which is why we are keen to build more links with employers. Many, though, remain reluctant to give jobs to those with a criminal record and this is one of the toughest barriers to breaking the cycle of reoffending.
So while Charlie Taylor’s comments have given us all a boost, one thing I know we won’t be doing is slowing down. There is much more that we can and want to improve.